Objective To study the effect of glycolic acid peels combined with intense pulsed light in the treatment of patients with chloasma. Methods A total of 86 patients with chloasma admitted to Baoding Xingzhenrun Medical Cosmetology Clinic from February 2022 to April 2024 were selected as the research objects. According to different treatment regimens, they were divided into the control group and the observation groupm, with 43 patients in each group. The control group was treated with intense pulsed light,and the observation group was treated with intense pulsed light combined with glycolic acid peels. The clinical efficacy, melasma area and severity index, oxidative stress level and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results The total effective rate of treatment in the observation group was 95.35%, which was higher than 81.40% in the control group (P <0.05). The MASI score in the observation group after treatment was lower than that in the control group (P <0.05). After treatment, the level of malondialdehyde in the observation group was lower than that in the control group, while the levels of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were higher than those in the control group (P <0.05). There was no significant difference in the total incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P >0.05). Conclusion The effect of glycolic acid peels combined with intense pulsed light in the treatment of chloasma is definite, which can alleviate the symptoms of chloasma, improve the oxidative stress response, and has high safety.